It happened in a blink

Chapter 1: The plan

A/N: I own nothing except my mistakes. So, this is just a short introduction to the most likely really long story that will follow. And in case you wonder, this takes place in Hermione's fifth year, following all the way up to after the war.

It was driving her beyond mad: the constant apparating of the twins around the house. And that didn't change when they apparated once more into the bedroom upon Harry's arrival, interrupting them in mid-conversation. "Fancy seeing you back, Harry." Fred said and George grinned, "Yes, it's been really dull without our ray of sunshine around." He joked as Hermione watched him take in Harry's dark look.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Honestly, boys, don't you have any subtlety?" The twins grinned simultaneously, "Afraid that wasn't included in the package, Hermione." Fred commented and she sighed in frustration. "Anyway, if you're all done, we have something you'd like to hear." George said and ushered them out the room, all surrounding themselves around the railings of the stairs.

Putting in the ear piece, Hermione watched as the Extendable Ear was moving down, stopping right down at the door and the voices came clear through it, allowing them to hear what the Order members had been talking about in their meetings for weeks now.

The approaching cat, however, all caught their attention and Hermione whispered frantically at it, ordering to stay back but the cat refused to listen. "Crookshanks!" She exclaimed as he snatched the ear from the thread it was hanging on, and gulped it down easily.

Being called down soon afterwards, they all took their seats around the table, Hermione sitting next to the twins as they waited for dinner to appear on the table before all diving into it. Loud chatter spread around the table, all indulging in their own conversations, but Hermione kept quiet, subconsciously listening to all the conversations around her.

"What do you say, Freddie?" George's voice suddenly caught her attention. Subtly brushing a strand of hair behind her left ear, she concentrated on the conversation on her left, where the boys were whispering to each other. "I'd say we get started as soon as possible, Georgie." Fred whispered back, his voice laced with mischief.

That got her wondering, because what exactly were they planning on doing? If it had been a prank, she was sure she'd hear them mention the name of the victim, or the object they'd prank them with. But she heard neither of those. So what was it that they were planning?

"Hermione?" The voice ripped her out of her thoughts, and her eyes landed on the source: Ron Weasley. Moving a little forward, she looked to her far left and saw Ron sitting next to the twins, looking at her hesitantly. He seemed to be in a serious debate of what he was going to say, and her neck was starting to hurt pretty bad.

"Ron, if you have something to say, please do it quickly." She said loud enough so he could hear. Snickers were heard beside her, "Yes, Ron, where are your manners?" Fred started, his twin following up close.

"That's no way to treat a lady, is it, Fred?"

"Right you are, George. The poor woman's neck is going to snap anytime soon if you don't stop gaping like a fish."

The twins grinned and Hermione rolled her eyes, focusing back on Ron. "Well?" She urged on and he let out a sigh, "Can we talk? Alone." He said and Hermione nodded, leaving the table along with him and stopping once they were out of the room. "What's the matter?" Hermione asked and Ron scratched behind his head as he sheepishly spoke: "You look beautiful, Hermione. And I.."

He stopped talking again and Hermione's heart rate sped up, anxious to hear what he wanted to say. "I was wondering if perhaps.. you know.. I mean, you don't have to.. Only if you want to, of course.." He rambled and Hermione interfered, not wishing to listen to his stumbling all night long. "Ron, just spit it out already."

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to go out on a date sometime?" He spoke so fast that she almost didn't catch it, but after a few seconds it dawned on her and her lips fell into a small 'oh.' Did she want to go out with him? Sure, she admitted to having perhaps a minor crush on him, but was she ready for a relationship? Especially in her busy upcoming school year?

Hermione sighed as she looked at his anxious face, feeling rather guilty as the words left her lips: "Ron, I'd love to, but now is not the best timing considering our O.W.L.s this year." The pained expression on his face made her entire insides squirm, her heart aching for him as he nodded with an exaggerated fake smile. "Of course, 'Mione." He said, trying to sound happy but failing miserably. "I'm really sorry, Ron." He shook his head, "No worries." And with that, he brushed past her and went up the stairs, most likely disappearing into his room.

Walking back into the dining room, she made brief eye contact with Fred, who was watching her curiously as she went to sit back down besides him. "Where's ickle Ronniekins, Hermione?" Fred asked with his usual grin, "Yeah, didn't strangle him, did you?" George piped in.

"Although, we wouldn't blame you, of course."

"We've been wanting to do that for ages." George finished and Hermione sighed as she looked at the two, "I didn't strangle him! He just went upstairs because he wasn't feeling well." Hermione lied, although she could tell that they didn't believe her. Not that she blamed them, she had always been a bad liar after all.

"Or was it the other way around?" Fred went on. "Yeah, now that you mention it, Fred, she does look a bit red in the face." The twins both popped an elbow on the table and turned to look at her, observing her entire face with a grin. "Or did you perhaps snog so much that he went upstairs to take care of his swollen lips?" Fred guessed and she sighed in frustration, "Like I said, he wasn't feeling well."

The boys snickered, "Whatever you say, Hermione." They chorused and focused back on their own conversation as Hermione took some ice cream that had appeared on the table. Listening closely, she followed the talk between Harry and the rest of the Order members. However, everything they told him was something she could have guessed herself as well.

Calling it a day, everyone went upstairs. Luckily for her, she only had to walk up one set of stairs, for the bedroom she shared with Ginny was on the first floor. And her luck was even more expansed when she realized that Ron was sleeping a floor above her, so she had no chance of running into him as she went up.

Changing quickly into her pajamas, she jumped into her bed and tried to fall asleep as quick as she possibly could, wanting to avoid any questions Ginny might have, for she was sure that Ginny had overheard Hermione's conversation with the twins as well.

However, her luck was running out as she was currently boarding the Hogwarts train after a week of non-stop cleaning in Grimmauld Place. "Hermione, when are you planning on telling me what's up with you and Ron?" Ginny had asked once more, and Hermione nervously looked around her, glad to spot the prefect compartment and rushing to it, "Sorry Gin, I have to go." She said and quickly slid in, sighing in relief as she took place on the left bench, letting her head fall against the window.

For a minute, she had completely forgotten that Ron was a prefect as well, so it surprised her greatly when he walked into the compartment, his face expressionless as he avoided her eyes as he sat down opposite her.

Waiting until the other prefects arrived, they started their meeting and discussed their schedules. Due to all the talking, the time went faster than it usually did and so she hurriedly got into her school robes, finishing just in time before the train came to a halt.

The prefects rushed out of the compartment, guiding the first years to the platform of the Hogsmeade Station and over to Professor Grubbly-Plank, which caught Hermione by her surprise upon seeing the woman, having expected a hairy half giant instead.

After making sure every first year had been gathered around the teacher, she hurried to the carriages along with Ron, although he seemed to have hastened up his steps to avoid walking with her. Not that she minded, for she felt rather awkward in his presence as well.

They sat through the sorting and Dumbledore's welcome speech, along with the introduction of Professor Umbridge, who appeared to be full of rubbish after listening to hearing what she said. She sugar coated it nicely, as to give the illusion that she meant well, but Hermione didn't buy it. She read directly through the lines, and did not like what she found there. They truly never would get a quiet year at Hogwarts.

After everyone had gratefully eaten the delicious meals Hogwarts had offered them, they all headed upstairs to their respective common rooms, Hermione and Ron leading the group of first years and showing them around the place before entering their own bedroom themselves.

"Unbelievable!" Hermione exclaimed in frustration the next week after their arrival as she walked into the Gryffindor common room, watching the Weasley twins with a couple of first years surrounding them in a corner. "Who's next for the puking pastilles?" Fred asked enthusiastically, a grin spreading on his lips which widened only more as he saw her approach.

"Fred! I thought I made myself clear. You will not experiment on first years!" Hermione said, her voice high and laced with anger, the everlasting grin on the twin boy's face riling it up even more. "Oh, come on, Hermione. It's offensive how poorly you think of us." Fred said in feigned hurt, and George chimed in: "We tested it on ourselves first, of course."

"And all we need to do now, is see if it works the same for every person."

"With their safety ensured. Take the puking pastilles for example, they're double-ended. Eating the orange half will cause you to throw up, the purple half, however, restores you to perfect health." Fred finished and Hermione raised a stern eyebrow, "And what makes you so certain that the other antidotes for your products will work?"

But Fred didn't take her bait and refused to go into an argument of which they both knew she would win. "You need to loosen up a bit, Hermione." Fred said and stood up, casually placing an arm around her shoulder." Right you are, Fred." George said, coming up along with his brother and throwing his own arm around the other shoulder. "How about you take a look into our lives for a week?" Fred suggested with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"And why exactly would I do that?" Hermione questioned and snapped her head to the right when George spoke: "Give us the opportunity to change your mind." Her head snapped to the left as Fred now spoke: "Without any point takings, any objections and without any lectures, you will live our lives for an entire week."

"And if you're still persistent at the end of the week.."

".. you can punish us in whichever way you like." Fred said and Hermione winced in slight pain from all the head turning between the twins. Biting on her lip, she thought it over for a second. But after seeing no harm in just observing them, she reluctantly nodded with a sigh. "This is going to be such a waste of my time." Hermione groaned and the twins pulled equally matching grins, "We beg to differ." They said in unison.